Phantoms of the Past
by Fiera Sabre
Summary: This is a story that my friend wrote, so I'm not taking credit for it. However, she has no internet and no email, so I offered to put this up for her. It's between episodes one and two, and is Obi and Anakin centric.Set when Ani is a padawan. COMPLETE!
1. An Unlikely Alliance

Phantoms of the Past

By Justine

Note: This story was not written by me (Fiera Sabre)! It was written by my friend Justine.

© 2006 Justine

_I would just like to thanks to my VERY dear friends Rachel, Rebekka, and Megan for getting me so involved in Star Wars. _

Chapter 1

_Unlikely Alliance_

A small ship, the_ Mishta, _glided smoothly in the atmosphere of an uncharted planet in the Outer Rim. The ship was commanded by Triosh Nel'ke, a devoted captain, scholar and a passionate explorer who never put his needs above his crew's. He was a Ruvian from his planet, Skalla. He was about 3 meters tall, with light blue skin, deep gray eyes, hair the color of a deep, exotic ocean. His planet's satellites had picked up this planet on long-range sensors and he had been ordered by his government to explore it for possible colonization.

"Is there any life down there?" Triosh asked, taking a step closer to the view screen. The big, gold, copper and brown colored planet filled the screen with its image. But in space, it was no bigger than a Tellerite Flea.

"Not sure, sir," his science officer reported. "There is too much interference. We need to get a little closer to the surface."

"Alright," The captain said, turning away from his officer to face the view screen again. "Helmsmen, take us down 20 _challens._

"Aye, sir."

The small ship dropped through the atmosphere and held its position.

"Anything yet?" the Ruvian captain asked.

"There are no life forms, sir." the science officer, Cruz San'at, replied. "But there are ancient ruins down there. Someone lived here. A long time ago." The captain rubbed the small blue beard on his face, deep in thought.

"Sir?" Cruz said, interrupting his thoughts. "There is something in the atmosphere. It looks like some wreckage from a ship."

"How much?"

"Unknown, sir. It is on the other side of the planet." Intrigued, the captain ordered his crew to take the ship around. As they were traveling, Cruz San'at received some readings. "The wreckage seems to be from a ship. Correction, sir. Four ships."

Captain Nel'ke hesitated uncertainly "All in one place? That's unusual isn't it?" He asked, taking a look at the readings on the science console.

"Some of it is old. Some are more recent. What is up with that?"

Then suddenly, the whole ship went dark.

"What happened?" The captain asked, very worried now.

"Seems to be some kind of power drain, sir." San'at stated tensely. "There was an odd reading from the planet's surface, but there was nothing down there that could cause a drain."

"Get the power back on, _now!_" The captain yelled. Then he made the dangerous journey back to his chair. He could hear his crew frantically at work in the dark, among the grunts and the groans of people bumping into each other and into walls and bulkheads.

"We can't, sir." Lieutenant Cruz said, his voice shaking. "The batteries are completely drained."

The ship then made a sudden _jerk_ that the ship suddenly jerked beneath their feet, sending everyone in a heap of bruised skin and scales.

"Are we falling?" Triosh said, attempting to hide the panic creeping into his voice.

"I don't know, sir."

A Republic ship called the _Messenger_ was in the sector coming home from a mission when a small, red blip appeared on the screen. The captain, Boldan Thrace, had ordered that his crew scan the area for anything unusual. On the comm, there was a extremely weak distress signal that was barely noticed.

"Do they need our help?" Captain Boldan Thrace asked his first officer.

"They have no power and they are in danger of a free fall. So helping them would be advisable." He replied, looking up from a small console embedded in the arm of his chair.

"Security would also be advisable, sir." Captain Thrace's Security officer offered in the conversation. Captain Thrace thought for a moment what to do to help.

"Are we close enough to grab them with the tractor beams?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then do so." The helmsman activated the tractor beam and aimed for the hull of the ship. The _Messenger_ turned around and started to pull the _Daredevil _out of the mysterious planet's atmosphere. When the ship was out, Captain Thrace tried to contact the people on the _Daredevil,_ but there was no response. "Is there anything wrong with their system?" Boldan asked.

"Their ship seems to be completely drained of power."

"How in the worlds did that happen? Attach one of our power transfer cords and give them some of our power so we can contact them before we board. We don't want to scare them." Captain Thrace said, then turned around and sat in his chair facing the screen.

"Sir, we are receiving power from another ship." Lieutenant San'at reported. "It looks like a Republic scout ship."

Ruvians and the Republic were not on the best of terms because of some incident that had happened many years ago, but the Captain was not going to let that get in the way of a chance of getting help they so desperately needed. "How much power do we have?" He asked quietly.

"We are almost at half power, sir" Cruz San'at said. He was running from console to console, trying to get all the readings. He had been doing that for the past ten standard minutes and it was a wonder to Captain Nel'ke that he didn't collapsefrom weariness.

"Sir, we are receiving a hail."

Captain Nel'ke stood up and smoothed out his uniform before ordering the transmission through. On the screen appeared a human man with graying hair and a surprisingly trusting face. He also stood up and walked up to the screen to address the captain.

"Captain, we were in this sector and detected your ship in distress and thought you might need a hand. _Do _you require assistance?"

Of course, Triosh Nel'ke could not answer in any other way. "Yes. Thank you so much. I am Captain Triosh Nel'ke of the Ruvian exploration ship, the _Daredevil._"

"Hello, Captain Nel'ke." Boldan responded. He wasn't entirely sure, but he thought he could detect a hint of hesitation in Nel'ke's voice. He shoved the thought away. "I am Captain Boldan Thrace of the Republic scout ship, _Messenger._" Both men stood there saying nothing, staring, trying to size each other up. "Your ship seems to have lost all power and we do not have enough power to bring your energyto full. We would be more than happy to drop you off on your home planet, if you wish." Boldan offered.

Captain Nel'ke consideredthe man's offer. "We cannot leave our ship." He said finally.

Captain Thrace could tell that the Ruvian was not comfortable with the suggestion. "You could dock your ship in our hangar bay. It is big enough. And we could arrange special quarters for you and your crew, or you may stay on your ship."

Triosh was still uncomfortable with the first suggestion, but felt a little better with Captain Thrace's compromise. "Alright, Captain Thrace. We will accept your offer."

"Splendid. Please surrender control of your vessel to our computer." Thrace ordered. Captain Nel'ke did as he was requested. Tractor beams seized the_ Daredevil _and started to bring it into their hangar bay. The tractor beams gently set the ship on the deck with intricate care. Captain Nel'ke talked over the ship's interior comm system reporting on the situation, then ordered his helmsman to open the hatch so he could go out and meet their host.

As he exited his ship, he saw that Captain Thrace was already there waiting for him. He walked over to the humancaptain and gave a slight bow. Captain Thrace did the same. "Welcome aboard the _Messenger_._" _Captain Thrace stuck his hand out for Captain Nel'ke to shake. Triosh looked at the hand with a confused look on his face. Apparently, he had never heard of shaking hands before. Captain Thrace then took the other captain's opposite hand and shook it. Captain Nel'ke's face lightened and he smiled as he understood what the man was doing. Boldan could feel Triosh shaking his hand with much enthusiasm at this point.

Captain Thrace took Captain Nel'ke and the rest of his senior staff on a tour of his ship. Triosh was very interested in the Republic ship. When they arrived on the bridge, Nel'ke was enthralled with the layout. "This design is more efficient than ours." He said marveling at the design of the consoles.

"Oh, we would be happy to give you some ideas on how to redesign you ships." Captain Thrace offered.

"No that is alright, thank you." They continued the tour by going to the ship's engineering section, sick bay, and science room. Lieutenant Cruz San'at was so interested in the science room that he requested permission to stay and look around in more detail.

"Of course." Captain Thrace conceded. "When you are done, alert one of my crewmen and they will take you back to your ship."

Triosh Nel'ke gave the coordinates to his home world that was in fact not that far away. It would take them only two standard hours to get there. For the remainder of the time, Captain Nel'ke stayed on his ship, while Lieutenant San'at chose to remain in the science room, as happy as a kid in a candy store. Captain Thrace stayed on his ship in his quarters and went over the reports from their last mission.

As they approached the planet Skalla, Captain Thrace hailed the _Daredevil _to alert Captain Nel'ke. He went down to say goodbye to Triosh before they departed. Both men shook hands and smiled. "There may be hope for our two peoples after all," Triosh said before entering his ship. Boldan Thrace nodded, happy with himself that everything had gone so well.

When the _Daredevil_ left the hanger bay, Captain Thrace ordered the return to Coruscant. "We should report the unusual findings about that planet to the Senate." He said to his first officer.

The_ Messenger _left Skalla with a brilliant flash of light among the stars.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters/concepts represented here, and I do not intend to make any money off this story, etc…


	2. A Mission Begins

Chapter 2

_A Mission Begins_

Jedi Master Mace Windu was in the Jedi Temple Council Chamber looking out the window overseeing the vast city planet of Coruscant.

Other than the Jedi Master, there was no one else present in the chamber. Arranged in a neatly made circle were the chairs the council members sat in during a meeting. There were no curtains or tapestries, only large windows letting in the scenic city view.

From the other side of the room, Master Windu could hear the glass doors open. He looked up at the sound to see Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi walking toward him with his hands at his sides. As he approached, they bowed to each other and smiled.

"You asked to see me, Master Windu?" Obi-Wan said through his growing mustache. He in turn looked out the window as Windu spoke.

"Yes. The Senate has voted to send an expedition to an uncharted planet in the Outer Rim. It was found by the captain of the _Messenger_ while trying to rescue a ship in distress." Mace Windu looked out to the city as he spoke. "They have requested that a Jedi accompany them."

Obi-Wan looked slightly confused. "Is there some reason that they would need a Jedi for such an ordinary mission?"

Windu looked at Obi-Wan."There have been reports of strange debris in the atmosphere and unusual readings from the planet's surface."

"Was the other ship rescued?" he asked.

"Yes. It was the Ruvian exploration ship _Mishta_, captained by Triosh Nel'ke." Master Windu explained. "They were exploring the planet for possible colonization. As they were doing so, their ship lost power and our ship had to assist them home."

"Are they comfortable with us exploring a planet they are interested in?"

"Again, yes." Windu said. "Actually, they asked us to assist them in doing so. Since this last incident, they are interested in talking to theSenate for Trade agreements."

"Really?" Kenobi said, slightly taken aback. "Since what happened the first time we tried to make contact?"

"Yes." Master Windu seemed to be saying that a lot lately. "It seems they were very surprised to see us put ourselves in equal danger to bring their ship back. To be able to put our past differences behind us seemed to impress them."

Kenobi nodded in understanding.

"I have chosen you to go with the expedition." Master Windu said. "You need the experience."

"What about Anakin?" the young Jedi knight asked.

"He will go with you, of course." Master Windu was a little puzzled by Kenobi's question. "He is old enough to go with you on missions, is he not?"

"Well, lets just say that for a boy his age, he gets into a lot of... mischief." Obi-Wan said, fighting back a smile. When he was a Padawan learner, Qui-Gon Jinn had had a hard time with him as well. He missed his Master since his death two years earlier at the hands of Darth Mauland suddenly he remembered his master's last words. "Anakin is the Chosen One. Train him." Obi-Wan hastily turned his attention back to Master Windu,realizing his thoughts had distracted him from what Windu was saying.

"You will leave here tomorrow morning, and the ship they are using is the _Smooth Flight_." Master Windu laughed a little at the ship's name. Its name could not be any more less fitting. "May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"And may the Force be with you, Master Windu." He bowed and walked out of council room.

"We are going to the Outer Rim?!" Anakin asked excitedly. "That's so cool!" Obi-Wan and Anakin were in their quarters packing for their trip to the mysterious planet. Aside from being born on Tatooine, Anakin had never been to the Outer Rim before. He had heard stories from other Jedi who had been out there and also from repair men that worked in the Temple, which had been on ships destined for the distant region, that very unusual things happened out there. Obi-Wan always told him that they were stories they all made up to scare him.

It didn't work.

Anakin was in his small room packing what little amount of clothes that he had. He was looking for his favorite tunic when Obi-Wan came in with his bag already packed for the trip. He smiled as he stood in the doorway watching the boy frantically search for the tunic. Anakin was wearing it! Anakin could sense his master's amusement and looked up with a very stern face. "What is so funny, master?" He asked. He reached out with the Force and then realized what was going on. He looked down at his stomach and started to laugh. "Guess I'm more excited than I thought." He said, finally calming down enough to talk. Kenobi started to laugh also. Finally, they both got over the laugh attack and brought their belongings to a small cabinet by the door. Anakin was still very excited a standard hour later, so Obi-Wan engaged him in a Jedi meditation cycle, hoping that that would calm him down. It worked. About two and a half hours later, they were both asleep.

The next morning, they both woke up and started to go to the hangar bay where the _Smooth Flight _was docked

It was a very large exploration ship, a design Anakin did not recognize, which was surprising because he knew a great deal about ship design. It was tear drop shaped with long triangular wings that extended from the sides, and teal gray in color that, over a long period of time, had gained scratches, burn marks and breaches. It was apparent that the ship had over gone many repairs over the years, but was in good shape nonetheless.

When they arrived, they found the whole place in utter chaos. Anakin watched as flustered looking crews walked back and forth trying to obey their captain's orders. Master Kenobi made his way through the crowded hangar to the captain to report in.

The captain of the exploration ship was a Corellian woman named Sarina Martane. She was about as tall as Obi-Wan with dark brown hair and icy blue eyes, and a modest, though muscular figure. She looked up at the Jedi's approach and frowned. Obi-Wan reached out with the Force to see what was wrong. He found nothing but exasperation.

"If you have a problem, you will have to wait." She said looking down at her schedule computer. "I have a lot of stuff to do before we have lift off."

"Excuse me," Obi-Wan interrupted. "I am Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi and this is my student, Anakin Skywalker. The Jedi council assigned us to accompany you on your expedition" He smiled as he spoke, trying to sooth the woman. When he finished talking, the woman smiled back and shook hands with him and Anakin. "I'm sorry. It has been hectic all day," she explained as she walked toward her ship. "All these scientists and their gadgets. I thought everything was ready last night until everything went wrong this morning."

"The calm before the storm, huh?" Anakin joked.

"That doesn't even begin to describe it." She replied. "So, how long have you been studying to be a Jedi?" She asked Anakin.

"Well, about two years ago, Master Qui-Gon came to my home planet of Tatooine and found out that I had Force potential and he brought me back here. But then he was killed on Naboo by Darth Maul, so Master Obi-Wan apprenticed me." He explained. They all entered the ship and walked through the hallways. The ship was also filled with running crews trying to prep the ship for take-off. She showed them their quarters, which were on the portside of the ship, and paused at a small, gray door to activate the opener. The door slidopen to reveal a small roomwhich the Jedi surveyed with satisfaction Jedi were accustomed to accommodations of this sort. Anakin plopped down on a bed and sighed heavily. "This is a soft bed," He commented. "What kind of ship is this?"

"This is a Corellian 18KB cruiser. Equipped for any hostile atmosphere. Perfect for exploration work." Sarina replied proudly. Obi-Wan looked at the woman and secretly smiled. He could tell Sarina loved her ship.

"If you need any help in repairing computers or anything like that, I would be glad to help." Anakin offered. Sarina raised her eyebrows at the boy in slight surprise. "He _is_ really good at repairing things. Always has been." Obi-Wan put in.

"I just might take you up on that. Well, I should be getting back to work." Sarina said, turning to walk out the door, looking at her wrist chrono. "If you need anything, give me or any of my crewmen a call."

"Actually, if you need help organizing something, or help of any kind, _we _would be glad to lend a hand." Obi-Wan said.

_That ain't all you could help me with, Obi-Wan, _Sarina thought to herself, trying to hide her smile. "That is very kind of you. Actually, if you do not mind, could you go to engineering, Anakin, and help them there? And Master Obi-Wan, you can assist me in organizing the cargo bay."

Obi-Wan could sense what the captain was trying to do, but didn't show it. "Alright." Obi-Wan conceded. They entered the hallway once more, and they both went separate ways to their destinations.

When Anakin arrived at engineering, he found the place a complete mess. He walked through the battered door and tried to get someone's attention. Everyone ignored him. He finally had to whistle to get some sort of reaction. The Chief of engineering came up to him with a deep scowl creasing his face.

"Children are not allowed on this ship." He said darkly. He pointed to the door as he spoke and slowly tried to push Anakin through it.

"I am not a child," Anakin retorted. "I am a Jedi. Captain Martane asked me to come down here and see if I could help." He looked defiantly at the tall, scruffy man with annoyance.

The Chief was fast running out of patience. "Well, as you can see, we have everything under control down here so you may go." The rude man had turned to walk away when Anakin ran in front of the him and made a face. "You certainly need my help. I see that the hyperdrive is running at 15 below normal, and I know a way to get it up to over 100. Also, the censors are malfunctioning and causing censor ghosts. That will need to be corrected, am I right?" The Chief looked at the boy with immense irritation. "Look, Jedi or no Jedi, you are a child and not able to fix _anything!_" The Chief tried to side step the boy, but Anakin was ready for that. He countered the Chief's every step with persistence. He then turned around and headed for the hyperdrive console. He pushed a few buttons and made a censor sweep. After a few minutes, he turned around and faced the Chief with a look of triumph. The Chief came and brushed past the boy, staringat the readings currently displayed. He could not even speak. The readings showed that the hyperdrive was now functioning at 125! With sudden surprise and a hint of respect, the Chief looked down at Anakin and said, "Well, let's see if you are as good as you say." When he turned around, he let a small smile spread across his face as he led the boy to a console.

Sarina and Obi-Wan walked along the hallways to the Cargo Bay. As they walked through the doorway, Obi-Wan scanned the room with a scrutinizing gaze. The Cargo Bay was a large one for a ship of this size. On the walls hung all different kinds of tools and machinery. Couplers, bolts, pliers, and so on. If there were no tools hanging, there were shelves, stuffed full of crates of all shapes and sizes. The walls themselves were covered with scrapes, nicks, and scuffs. Obi-Wan could tell that the _Smooth Flight_ had been in the service for a _long_ time. The room was filled with busy crews trying to sort everything and get things moved to their designated storing area. Obi-Wan suddenly felt a flicker of warning from the Force. He looked around the room with concern and saw a man trying to move an extremely large crate on an antigrav sled that was failing. The crewman was oblivious to this fact and kept on working, when the sled finally gave out and started to fall. The crewman fell on his side from the sudden change of weight and cried out as the sled started fall, covering his face with his arms. He waited a moment when he noticed that the sled never hit him, and he uncovered his eyes, just slightly, to see the sled hanging in midair. With a look of surprise and confusion, he looked around the room and his gaze settled on Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan was standing a few meters away with his eyes closed tightly, and his hands were hanging out, as if holding something. Finally, Obi-Wan had enough control over the sled, and he moved over to the side and set it down ever so gently. He opened his eyes to find everyone staring at him with their mouths hanging open. He looked around with an embarrassed smile and bent down to ask the crewman if he was alright.

"Y-Yes," The man stuttered. "What did you do?"

"I used the Force to catch the antigrav sled before it fell on you." Obi-Wan explained as he helped the middle-aged man off the floor. Obi-Wan looked at the man's face to see the confusion in his eyes. Apparently, he had never heard of a Jedi before. But right now was not the time to get into the deep discussion that it would entail. He just looked at the man and smiled. "Well, I hope you are alright. I will talk to you later." He then turned around to stop at Sarina's side. She smiled at him and started to walk out the archway.

They walked in silence for a while as they passed some crews. Obi-Wan reached out with the Force to sense what the young woman was thinking. All he could find was admiration and fondness. At the latter, the Jedi smiled. So far, she was the only woman who had found him attractive.

A few meters ahead, Obi-Wan could see a battered, gray door with some control buttons on the side. Sarina pushed a button and the door opened rather reluctantly. As he walked through it, he could see that they had entered the bridge. He scanned the room filled with control consoles and crewmen manning them with the captain's second officer yelling out orders, with everyone running this way and that. Sarina approached the man and whispered in his ear. He turned around with a broad grin spread across his face. He walked up to Obi-Wan and shook his hand so much, it would have tired out a Bregain bantha fighter. He was a pleasant looking man. Sarina introduced him as Gaff Winler.

"Pleased to meet you, Master Kenobi." Gaff said. He smiled as he spoke and was very polite.

Obi-Wan also smiled because of Sarina's second officer's excited behavior. He had never met a person that was that energetic. Obi-Wan glanced over to Sarina with a questioning eye. She leaned over to him and whispered in his ear, "He is a Shakon. That is what a lot of them are like. Very hyper." She smiled over her shoulder and walked up to her chair and sat down. She pushed a button on the arm of the chair and the view screen activated to reveal the station hangar bay's scorched wall. Sarina grimaced as she looked upon the ugly view and shut it off. She laughed with embarrassment and stood up to walk over to the navigation control to talk with the officer on duty.

It was two standard hours later that Sarina received the order to lift off. Obi-Wan and Anakin stood beside her as she sat in her chair. She smiled at an idea that had come to her. She stood up and motioned for Anakin to sit. He looked questioningly at his master. Obi-Wan gave him a slight nod and Anakin sat down. He rubbed the chair's worn upholstery with satisfaction.

Sarina bent down beside him and smiled. "You can give the order to go." She offered. Anakin stared at her with excitement, then looked around the room to see all the crewmen staring at him in turn. He stood up and waved his hand.

"Engage!" He said with the best grown-up voice he could come up with. Obi-Wan chuckled as he watched his Padawan act as though he were on top of the world. Sarina also laughed and stepped up to reclaim her chair. Anakin moved out of her way and thanked her.

"No problem." They all watched the view screen as the _Smooth Flight_ exited the atmosphere. Then, all the stars blurred into streaks of light as they entered hyperspace.

-------------

A/N: I hope you have enjoyed what you have read so far. I would like to ask your honest opinion of these two chapters. I will put up more after I get your complaints and reactions to where this is going! LOL!

I ask that you see if I have stayed true to the original characters created by George Lucas, and the events that have happened could happen. This is my first story I have written so I am anxious to see how badly I'm doing.

I appreciate all your feedback. Thank You!

_--Justine _

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters/concepts represented here, and I do not intend to make any money off this story, etc…


	3. Hidden Agendas

Chapter 3

_Hidden Agendas_

Obi-Wan and Anakin returned to their quarters after they entered hyperspace to either meditate or exercise. Obi-Wan was very puzzled as to why he couldn't get Sarina out of his mind. Her image followed him, even into the Force.

Just when he had finallyreached a deep meditative state, he heard the communication alert beeping on the small computer on the opposite wall. He went over to it and sat down in the chair in front of it, then raked his hands through his hair before opening the transmission. He smiled as Sarina's face filled the small screen.

"Ah, Captain Martane. Is there something I can do for you?" Obi-Wan asked.

Sarina tried not to snicker as she thought of something. "Yes. I know the hour is late, but would you care to share a late dinner with me?"

Obi-Wan considered her offer. He had not yet eaten and he heard his stomach growl at the mention of food. "I would like that. In about an hour?"

"See you then." Sarina smiled once more and the cut off transmission.

An hour later, Obi-Wan was standing outside Sarina's quarters waiting for the door to open. It opened to reveal a dimly lit room, with a small round table in the middle. On the table was a vase full of beautifully arranged flowers with candles on either side. He looked around for the Corellian Captain.

"I will be there in a moment, Master Kenobi," came the disembodied voice from a door on the side of the room.

Obi-Wan felt his mouth fall open as Sarina entered the room. She no longer looked like a captain with a grease stained dark green uniform and her hair in a tight bun on the back of her head. She was wearing a long, blue satin dress that touched the floor. And her hair... Her hair was let down and curly, the very color of Tabvion chocolate.

Obi-Wan forced his mouth to close because he could sense Sarina trying not to laugh at the ridiculous look he must have on his face. She grinned and gestured for him to sit at the table as she tried to light the candles. She was having difficulty doing so, for the small machine would not ignite. Obi-Wan saw the frustration and embarrassment on her face so he helped her. He reached out with the Force and saw the air molecules. He started to rub a few together and they began to flame up. He moved them over to the candlewick and it lit up. She glanced at him with amazement and respect.

Obi-Wan felt his heart warm at the sight of her. He breathed in deeply the delicious smells of the foods she had prepared as she took off the covers.

She smiled sweetly as she sat down at the opposite side of the small table and began to pass around each dish of steamy food. Obi-Wan took each plate and gave himself goodly portions. He was _very_ hungry. Sarina waited before taking a bite of her own food until Obi-Wan had tried his. He took a bite and gave her a look of approval. Sarina sighed with relief and then started to eat.

There was a moment's silence, then a light conversation began between them. Sarina asked him about his life as a Jedi on Coruscant. He explained that it was a challenging, yet rewarding life to lead, but he enjoyed it. He then started to tell her some of the adventures he had had in the past. She sat and listened, hanging on to every word.

At the end of the story, Sarina sighed heavily. "That was an amazing journey. Although, I am sorry about what happened to your master. He was a brave man also." Obi-Wan nodded slightly at the sad memory of holding Qui-Gon when he died.

"What about you?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly, changing the subject. "I'm sure you have come across some danger yourself."

"Not really." Sarina commented sadly. "I mostly stick to the Core Worlds. They keep me busy enough. This is actually my first mission so far out. I hope I will do okay."

Obi-Wan put a reassuring hand on top of hers on the table. She smiled at the touch. "You will do fine." Obi-Wan said softly.

She stood up and brought out dessert, a good sized cake which was Sarina's own recipe, as she had informed Obi-Wan. They ate the cake and continued the conversation.

"Where did you get this ship?" Obi-Wan asked at one point. "You said that you have been in the service for five years, but the condition of this ship seems to say that it has been in it longer."

Sarina laughed at the comment and finished her last bite of cake before replying. "It was my father's ship," she said, beginning her story. "Leshur Martane. He was a cargo runner from Tatooine, and the best in the sector. Everyone wanted him to run their cargo. He had been in the business for fifteen years and was never at a loss for work. One day, while he was walking in the commerce sector on Ord Mantell, he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her name was Telanaa. She approached him about a job. Dad thought long and hard before he offered her the position as the cook. They had been together about a year, and with each passing day, they fell more and more in love with each other. So, one day, he went into the kitchen and got down on one knee and proposed to her. I've heard her eyes filled with tears and happiness as she accepted. About a year later, Mother found out she was pregnant with me."

Obi-Wan noticed that Sarina didn't have the same affection in her voice when she talked about her mother as she did her father. Sarina's bright eyes were suddenly downcast when she reached this point in her story. And even then, her eyes were still beautiful.

"One day, a humanoid approached Dad to smuggle some merchandise for him to a small planet in the Outer Rim. Dad was hesitant because he had never ventured so far from familiar space before. And with Mother" - there it was again- "being pregnant with me..." She left the rest of the sentence unsaid. "The man paid Dad a large sum before he left, and that was not even all of it! Dad could not refuse. So he left. Dad was supposed to be back in a week. Mother gave birth to me about three days after he left. There were complications during birth and Mother died. My dad's brother and his wife, who is barren, took me to live with them until my dad came back."

Sarina paused for a long moment. "He never did. Uncle Loshur gathered enough money to hire a ship to go out and search for him. They found this ship drifting near a planet in the Outer Rim. They caught the ship and they boarded it. Dad was not aboard!" Obi-Wan stared in amazement at the startling development. "They came back with the_ Smooth Flight_ in tow. When I turned thirteen, Uncle Loshur took me inside the ship for a small tour. He took me to the cockpit and I sat down in his chair and started looking at the controls. I was a very good mechanic even at that young age, so I started up the ship. As I did so, I saw that the communication button was blinking. I activated it to find that my father had left me a message before he disappeared." Sarina then got up from her chair and went over to a cherry-red colored desk, then pulled out a drawer. She came back with a small message crystal that she put in her computer, and pushed the _Play_ button.

On the screen appeared a handsome man that was in his mid-thirties. His eyes were the color of emeralds and his black hair was streaked with gray. It gave him a dignified look. The kind of man you would like to know. Leshur smiled weakly before he spoke. His voice was filled with pain and exhaustion. He tried to hide it, but did not succeed.

"Hello, honey. I'm not sure that you will ever get this, but it gives me some peace inside my heart knowing that I tried to contact you. I did deliver that cargo for Fregan. On my way back, I got some unusual readings from a planet that I passed on my way to hyperspace. And, of course, me and my curious nature, I had to investigate. All of a sudden, I lost all power. I had just enough reserve power to do this." Leshur looked around with a tear coming out of the corner of his eye. He drew his attention back to the screen.

Obi-Wan glanced up at Sarina to find a tear in her eyes as well. Then, to Obi-Wan's surprise, he could _feel_ Sarina's pain through the Force. Which really was not that unusual, but it was stronger than anything that Obi-Wan had felt from a non-Force sensitive person. Suspicions started creeping up in the back of his mind. He shoved them aside and listened to the rest of Leshur's message.

"I have felt that the little one is born by now. No matter what it is, I'm sure it looks just like you. While I sit here waiting for my fate, I think of what to call it. If it is a boy, I was thinking of Sterlan. Or, if it is a girl, I was thinking of Sarina. I always liked that name. I want you to show this to the little one when it gets old enough." Leshur wiped away the tears that had started to fall from the corners of his eyes.

"Hi, little one. I'm so sorry that I will never get to see you. But, I can imagine what you look like. And what I see is the most beautiful baby in the galaxy. If my ship and this message are ever found, I would like you to have this ship and everything in it. Please don't ever sell this hunk-of-junk. It holds wonderful things." Leshur wiped his eyes again, then closed them.

"My love, I felt that something is wrong with you or the baby, but I just keep telling myself I'm imagining it. But, I miss you terribly. I will always love you with every fiber in my being. So long my love." Leshur smiled once more and leaned toward the screen and the image vanished.

Sarina turned to face Obi-Wan with a face filled with emotions. She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and tried to smile.

Obi-Wan rose from his chair and put a sympathetic arm around her shoulders. She nestled her cheek against his shoulder like a scared child, but suddenly pulled away with a soft laugh. "I'm sorry. You might have thought this was the first time I ever saw that." Sarina apologized. Obi-Wan nodded understandingly.

"Don't even think about it." Obi-Wan said. "Well, I should be getting back. Who knows what kind of trouble Anakin is getting into."

Sarina shook her head and smiled. "He seems like a troublesome boy."

Obi-Wan gave a slight chuckle. "He has his moments." Sarina walked Obi-Wan to the door and opened it. Obi-Wan was just about to step through it when he caught Sarina's gaze. He looked into her eyes and sighed. Her eyes were so beautiful and so deep a man could get lost in them. He leaned over and gave her a kiss on her rose red lips. Sarina closed her eyes and lived in the moment. The moment didn't last long enough for either of them, but the Jedi pulled back and smiled. She smiled back and watched as Obi-Walked down the hallway back to his quarters.

When he arrived, to his great surprise and relief, he found Anakin sound asleep in bed. As Obi-Wan prepared for bed, he thought about Sarina and what he felt through the Force. It was a great puzzle to him that he could feel her pain and hear her thoughts so clearly.

_Does she have Force talent?_ He asked himself. He decided that all questions could wait for morning when he could tackle this mystery with a fresh mind.

Sarina was in her quarters cleaning up when she received a communication from Gaff.

"How did it go?" He asked her anxiously. His face filled with concern and fear.

"It went fine. Although, I think he scanned me." She replied.

"What?!" Gaff yelled. "He must never know. Do you hear me?! He must _never_ know." With that, the communication was broken.

Sarina sat down on a comfy chair to think._ Gaff is right. He must never know._


	4. Pain and Suffering

Chapter 4

_Pain and Suffering_

Two days later, Sarina's husky and slightly accented voice came over the intercom.

"Attention all hands! We have arrived at our destination. Master Kenobi and Young Skywalker, please report to the bridge."

Master Kenobi and his padawan were in the quarters going through some exercises when they heard the order. Anakin looked at his master with excitement in his eyes. He jumped up off the floor and ran to the door. Obi-Wan shook his head in mock disappointment, and rushed after him.

They both arrived on the bridge breathless. Sarina and Gaff looked at them with questioning looks. Obi-Wan pushed the feeling of embarrassment away and walked up to the view screen, drinking in the magnificent image of the planet. It puzzled him that a planet as beautiful as this one could harbor such danger and mystery.

As he stood there, Obi-Wan suddenly felt dizzy. He swayed back and forth with his hand on his forehead. Sarina rushed to his side and tried to steady him.

"I'm alright." Obi-Wan said. Even after all his reassurances, Sarina was still very concerned.

"What happened?" Sarina asked after she had calmed herself down a little bit. She led him to her chair and gingerly sat him down.

"I was overwhelmed by something." He whispered. "It felt like a cry for help, but it is gone now."

Sarina stared with a confused face. "How could you _feel_ something like that?"

"All things are possible through the Force." Obi-Wan replied matter-of-factly. He shook his head and then attempted to get up, but Sarina restrained him.

"Did it feel like someone human, or what exactly?" Gaff asked, taking a step closer to Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan looked at up at the excitable man.

"It felt like something-" Obi-Wan paused, trying to think of the best possible description. "Ancient. That is the only way I can describe it." Sarina and Gaff looked at each other with concern and puzzlement.

"I know it is not much," Obi-Wan said, interrupting their thoughts. "But it is the best I can think-of how to describe it. It felt like a cry from an ancient time. Pain and suffering covers that world like a blanket. Something terrible happened here."

Sarina felt a shiver run up her spine as she heard Obi-Wan speak. _What could that mean?_ She asked herself. _What happened here?_

Obi-Wan continued to sit a few minutes longer to make sure he was alright. When he stood, Sarina looked at him with fearful eyes. Obi-Wan sighed and walked toward her. "I'm alright. I promise." He reassured her. "What is your plan for exploring the planet?"

Sarina stood looking out of the view screen to the mystery planet thinking of what to do. "I was thinking that we would probe the unusual wreckage to see what kind of threat it would pose to us." She said finally. "After that, we will scan the atmosphere to see what we need to gear up for ground deployment." Even through her apparent calm, Obi-Wan could feel her uneasiness as she tried to think of what to do. Obi-Wan caught her hand at her side and squeezed it. She looked at him and beamed. She then stepped forward with a renewed feeling of authority. She began to spout out orders to all the officers, and everyone started to run this way and that trying to comply with her wishes.

Sarina walked into her waiting room and started to make out a work schedule. Try as she might, she could not concentrate. Her gaze kept falling on the planet that lay out beyond her windows. All she could think about was Obi-Wan. How his lips felt against hers. So warm and soft, and the soothing look in his eyes. She knew that Jedi were not supposed to fall in love with anyone, but she could tell that he didn't care. _Is it wrong to fall in love with him? Even though he might find out? _Sarina asked herself these questions all day. But she couldn't answer any of them.

Her happy thoughts were interrupted by a small beeping noise from the door, indicating that someone wished to see her. "Enter." she called from across the room. The doors opened with a smooth _whoosh! _Gaff entered with a forced, misplaced smile. Sarina pointed to a chair for him to sit down in.

There was a long pause before Gaff spoke. "Well, do you think he knows?"

"No." Sarina answered. "If he did, he would have done something about it by now." She stared out of the windows with concern.

"Well, let's just keep it that way." Gaff retorted. "Well, let's discuss how we are going to chart this planet..."

Three hours later, a small shuttle left the hangar bay of the _Smooth Flight _to investigate the wreckage with Gaff and Obi-Wan aboard. They began to run sensor sweeps and they all came back negative. "Well, whatever was here is gone now." Gaff remarked as they were about to turn back. He noticed that Obi-Wan had not said anything and turned to look at him, only to find him staring out the window, as if in a trance.

"You okay?" Gaff asked, shaking Obi-Wan on the shoulder. Obi-Wan stirred and looked at him, puzzled as to why Gaff was shaking him so vigorously. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Gaff looked as though he wanted to laugh and hit him at the same time. "You were looking outside as if you saw a ghost. I was... concerned."

"I might have." Obi-Wan replied. "I was seeing this planet. Thousands of years ago when it was still inhabited. It was beautiful, and the race was very advanced. Then... well, lets just say that someone woke me up." Obi-Wan smiled as he finished his sentence.

Gaff looked down at the console in front of him in embarrassment. "I'm so sorry. You just looked so weird, I was worried about you." He apologized.

Obi-Wan looked at the man and said, "Don't worry about it. I'm sure this mystery will be solved in due time. Until then, I think it will be safe to explore the planet's surface."

Gaff nodded in agreement and then plotted a course back to the_ Smooth Flight_.

Sarina, Obi-Wan and Anakin were in the hangar bay preparing to board the first shuttle to the surface. Anakin could barely restrain his excitement about being able to go with his master. They all walked up the ramp to the shuttle's cockpit with the other crewman and scientists that were assigned to this shuttle. Sarina took her place at the helm and Obi-wan and Anakin sat on either side of her looking on. Sarina waited a moment before lifting off. She looked around seeing the other three shuttles filled with crewmen and scientists that were waiting their turn to exit.

Sarina heaved a sigh and then started to go. The shuttle exited the _Smooth Flight _smoothly and started to descend to the planet's surface. All the other shuttles had also exited and were now flying single file behind her. She looked up from the console and gazed among the stars. _Dad, are you here?_ Sarina called out with her mind. _What am I doing? _She asked herself scoldingly. _It's not like he can hear me._

Obi-Wan jerked as he heard Sarina's cry through the Force. His suspicions about her being Force-sensitive were growing rapidly. _How can I be sure?_ He asked himself. He dismissed it, promising himself that he would do something about it later.

_Shuttle 1_ was surrounded by flames as it entered the higher atmosphere. It looked as though it was bathed in fire, an incredible sight to see. The other shuttles were also entering and were running scans to see what kind of turbulence they would encounter in the lower atmosphere and what kind of surface they might find. _Shuttle 1_ circled the sky looking for a suitable landing strip for it and the other shuttles. As they were circling, Anakin gazed out the window to see the ancient ruins that covered the surface—all those that had survived the decades of deterioration, that is. Even still, they were most impressive, and the architecture was amazing. The race that had lived there was indeedvery advanced.

Sarina announced that she had found an acceptable landing strip and began to set down. The shuttle hit the ground with a thud and then the engines started to exhaust vapor as it stood in _stand-by_ mode. Sarina nodded in satisfaction and activated the ramp. She and the other crewmen stood up and started to walk down the ramp with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Obi-Wan scanned the terrain with a hard stare. He saw the ruins that had braved the storms that this planet had regularly. The ruins were worn, and yet held such beauty. There were two pillars in front of them with pictographs on them. They looked like animals and 'stick' people. They had not been on the surface for fifteen seconds before the scientists and their strange scanners were probing the pillars, trying to unlock their secrets. Obi-Wan could not hide a smile as he watched them. They looked children with new toys.

The air was breathable, but not as easy to breathe as Coruscant's atmosphere. It tasted stale and old in the back of Obi-Wan's throat.

The terrain was rocky and sandy, but not like a desert. More like, he decided, the crumbling ruins of some primal mountain range; once forbidding, the ravages of time and the buffeting winds had reduced the landscape to mere piles of sand-hued rocks and dust that littered the area, rather than dominating it. Obi-Wan studied the sky to find it a pale orange color that was beautiful in appearance. There was no sign of wildlife or vegetation of any kind. Whatever had happened to this planet had scorched it permanently. Surrounding the decaying city were rolling sand dunes that seemed to reach to beyond the horizon. It was hard for Obi-Wan to imagine what it might have looked like back when it was inhabited.

Anakin opened his mind to the Force and tried to scan the area, then suddenly stumbled back as he found something. Obi-Wan glanced at him with concern. "What happened?"

Anakin glanced around, as if looking for what had 'hit' him. "I was using the Force to _see_ when something... I don't know what, **was** trying to warn me to stay away. It was muffled, but loud enough to hear. It was a man, I think."

Obi-Wan looked at his padawan, trying to assess what he had just been told. He opened his mind also, trying to sense what Anakin did. "Whatever it was is gone now."

"I know what I felt, Master!" Anakin persisted. Obi-Wan looked at Sarina and then back to Anakin. "I believe you."

Just then, there was a roar from behind the clouds. They all looked up to see more shuttles from the_ Smooth Flight_ preparing to land.

As they sat down, dust rose and began to blow in small gusts, stinging the eyes of everyone on the ground. All the shuttle craft ramps lowered simultaneously and out flooded more crewmen and scientists. They all gathered around Sarina as she stepped onto a fallen pillar with an air of authority surrounding her. She held up her hands for silence.

"I am glad to see all of you landed safely," she began. "I will be handing out work assignments to all of you. We have only two weeks to explore and chart this planet. So, let's get started!"


	5. Vanish

Chapter 5

_Vanish_

Sarina took Obi-Wan and about twenty security officers and scientists into a massive dome shaped building. It was hers and a few scientists' theory that this was the capital building. Inside the hallways on either side were lined with cream-colored doors on olive walls. On them, there was some writing in the native language. Already, some linguistics were trying to decipher it. Sarina was looking for the leader's room, the President's office so to speak. She felt that she would learn a lot there. Obi-Wan glided silently beside her, looking around each corner for some sort of trouble.

They all rounded a corner and stopped dead in their tracks to find themselves in a most majestic room. It was about as large as Coruscant's Senate building, and was most likely used for pretty much the same purpose. There were balconies on the vast walls and ceilings with about 5 chairs in each. In the middle of the room, there was a chair and table high off the floor, like some kind of stage. For the President, most likely. Intricate engraving covered the floor and ceiling. It looked like flowers and decorative lines that swirled and turned, making a elegant pattern. Sarina was breathless as she walked around the room, running her fingers over everything. Obi-Wan could not help but smile as he too walked into the room, breathless at its beauty and elegance.

Anakin opened his mind to the Force and felt the shadows of what was. People would meet here to discuss state business. Very organized and peaceful they were, before the tragedy. They all walked around the room using their imagination of what had once been. Sarina smiled.

On the other side of the city, Gaff had taken some people and started to explore one of the taller buildings they could find. They had entered through the large set of double doors that were left open, as though the inhabitants were too busy to close it behind them. They walked in to find the place in complete disorder. It was littered with papers, articles of clothing, and broken pottery and other pieces of cooking utensils. There was also broken furniture that was scattered around, as though an earthquake or something had knocked them out of their proper place.

All the crewman began to disperse around the building doing different analyses to find out what happened. Gaff rubbed his chin as he tried to concentrate. "All right people, listen. Scan the area and find out if it is safe to go up to the higher floors. Does anyone have any idea what this place was?"

A young man stepped forward nervously to put in his opinion. "Well, s-sir," The man stuttered. "I-I think it was a apartment c-complex. That would explain the clothing, pottery and furniture."

Gaff nodded his head vigorously in agreement. "I think you're right. I'm not sure what kind of information we could get out of this, but we will look around anyway." He then started to divide his team into six groups of three. Gaff went with the nervous young man, who was named Musante Fran, and another officer named Keil Frah and ascended to the highest level in the building.

They climbed the stairs that were lined against the wall in place of a elevator. As they climbed, Gaff thought that this would definitely help him in his weight loss program. When they arrived at the top, they all took deep breaths of relief. Before them was another hall lined with rooms, with unusual looking pictographs on them. "M-might be a-apartment numbers." Musante stammered as he closely examined at one on the door closest to him.

"Very good." Gaff responded. "Let's check each of these rooms. See if you can find anything that would help us understand what happened here." Gaff took the room at the end of the hall, while Musante and Keil took the two rooms next to his.

Musante opened the creaky door and walked into a dust-covered room. Yet, underneath the coat of dust, there was much beauty. _This must have been a very important person's quarters_. He thought to himself. It was lined with burgundy drapes with light pink walls that were decorated with a golden leaf pattern that stood out in an elegant fashion. There was cherry red furniture organized in an efficient manner. Well worn, but still very comfortable. Musante could not help but smile at the room, thinking of what kind-of person lived here. All he could see was his grandmother, a loving woman, who was a little on the heavy side, but very helpful in times of need.

From the other side of the room, Musante could hear a slight _thud. _He was startled at the sound, as he had thought he was the only one in the room. "Hello?" He called out uneasily.

Gaff and Keil waited out in the hall for Musante. It had been more than fifteen minutes since they had split up. Gaff was getting concerned at this point. "Did you see where he went?" He asked Keil. Keil pointed to the room in front of them. "In there."

They walked into the room and looked around with a fast gaze trying to find their friend. The saw on floor footprints that had disturbed the dust. They followed them into a little room on the opposite side of the door. Then they just... _stopped_. Vanished without a trail leading to where he might have walked next. Gaff and Keil looked at each other with puzzled glances. "Musante? Musante?!" Gaff called out. There was no answer.

A'sF/N: Short chapter, heh! I won't be available to put new chapters up for about two weeks here, but don't worry! My sis will be putting up a new chapter every couple days. If you feel like putting the effort into it, please read _my_ stories! Also, R&R on this one, can't stress that enough!

--Fee (in other words, the author's friend.)


	6. A Discovery

Chapter 6

_A Discovery_

Sarina and Obi-Wan began to explore the offices that were all along the corridor. Sarina had chosen the office that was at the end of the hall, and was the biggest, and Obi-Wan took the one next to her. She had luckily stumbled upon the planet's 'President's,' for lack of a better word, office. She felt a smile spread across her face from excitement to have the honor to find it first. She walked around the circular room examining every aspect of it. In the middle of the room, stood a triangular desk of a light brown color. On it was engraved swirls and circles that gave it an elegant look that impressed Sarina. With the table, lying horizontally on the floor, was a wooden chair on the dust-covered floor. She picked up it up and set it up against the desk.

As she sat down in the chair and began to wipe away the dust of the desk, she began to feel uneasy. She glanced around as the feeling of prying eyes watching crept over her. She stirred as she heard the door start to creak open. Sarina hurriedly looked around for a hiding place, only to find none.

Sarina let out a great sigh of relief when she saw the handsome face of Obi-Wan stare at her in a mischievous way. He looked at her with questioning eyes as he heard her sigh.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yes. I think so." She said. "But, ever since I came in here, I have felt like someone was watching me."

Obi-Wan scanned the room with the Force. He found nothing that would suggest that someone, dead or otherwise, was watching Sarina. He shook his head at her. She shook hers also in dismissal. "My imagination running away from me." She explained. "Being on a dead planet does that, I guess." She began to open up the drawers that were in the desk, hoping to find some sort of documents left over from the old times. All she found were some deteriorated papers that were beyond comprehension. Disappointed, she began to get up from the desk. And as she was doing so, she inadvertently pushed a small shaped circle. A sound came from the desk that startled them both. The top of the desk opened up to reveal a small computer-looking device that was also covered in dust, lying in wait for someone to discover it. Obi-Wan picked it up to examine it.

"Must be some kind of data computer or something." He suggested. He tossed the device in his hands trying to find the _On_ button.

He found it and pushed it. It gave a slight _whine _noise as it warmed up. Granted it was a very old computer, but being in the secret drawer had preserved it somewhat. It gave a crackle and then a fuzzy and heavily distorted image began to appear. A sound of someone talking was then heard as the picture began to clear up. An image of a human looking man was able to be distinguished. It was an older looking man, with a long vertigalline going from the top of his head to the tip of his nose. It was not a scar; from what Sarina and Obi-Wan could tell, it was the race's mark that they all must have had. The man spoke with earnestness in his voice, and was filled with strain.

They could not understand a word he was saying, though. "We _have_ to get this to the translation boys. I want to know what happened here. This may be the key!"

Obi-Wan nodded and then they both departed from the room. Before Obi-Wan closed the door, he jerked his head back into the room as he thought he heard someone speak. He listened a few more minutes, but heard nothing. He shook it off, then left.

Sarina and Obi-Wan arrived at the linguistics tent in good spirits, hoping to find something on the computer disk. She handed it to a man named Vershawn Bergil, the best linguist in this part of the galaxy. He took the piece of equipment gratefully and began to work on it. Obi-Wan left the tent to rendezvous with Gaff and his team, while Sarina stayed with Vershawn to wait for the results. "It will take over two hours for me to decipher this, so please, _go pester someone else!_" He scolded playfully. Sarina dragged her feet out of the tent to find something else to do. She looked around the general area to find that most of the crewman and scientists had already set up their tents and were now exploring the area to find artifacts to analyze.

Sarina visited every tent to see what relics everyone had dug up. She encouraged everybody on a job well done. They all took the complement very humbly. "Great job everyone!"

----------

Obi-Wan arrived at the building that Gaff was to meet him at. He glanced around looking for the light-blue skinned man. He had only a moment to wait before Gaff came around the corner. Obi-Wan did need the Force to tell him that something was very wrong. Obi-Wan walked across the dirt-covered ground to the man in anticipation of what news he had to report.

"Is everything alright, commander?" Obi-Wan asked.

Gaff took a deep, unsure breath. His shoulders dropped as he spoke. "One of my men has disappeared." Obi-Wan gave a start when he heard this. "I know it sounds impossible, but it's true. He went into a room alone and when he didn't come out again, Keil and I went in to look for him. We followed his footprints to a little room, and they ended in the middle of it. There were no more leading_ anywhere._" Gaff was sagging his body so low that Obi-Wan thought the man might collapse to the ground. He put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Gaff looked up from the ground and stared into the Jedi's eyes.

"Hey, do you think that if I take you to the room he disappeared in, you could sense what happened?" He asked hopefully.

Obi-Wan considered the man's question carefully before replying. "I think so." He finally replied. Gaff stood taller and began to walk back into the building with Obi-Wan on his heels.

He entered the building to find everyone frantically searching for their missing comrade. He saw one young woman even look under a broken table, obviously finding nothing but centuries' worth of dust. She stood back up and Obi-Wan could see stress and worry covering her face.

Gaff, Keil and Obi-Wan climbed up the twenty-some flights of stairs to the room where Musante disappeared. Obi-Wan walked in the room and began to scan for the young man through the Force. He followed the footsteps to where they ended and he glanced around, as if seeing something move in the shadows. Obi-Wan could almost automatically sense something was at work in this room. He walked around the room with his eyes closed, his Jedi robe stirring up dust. He stopped in front of a wall and he began to rub his hand on it. He eyed Gaff and Keil as they watched him inspect the room, then walked up to them and shook his head.

"I cannot sense him with the Force, but I don't think he is dead. I think he is being shielded by something that is still at work on the planet."

Gaff and Keil eyed each other, startled at the statement. "What do you mean?" Keil asked.

"Something is still on this planet."

----------

On the other side of the city, an away team controlled by Reb Jor was exploring a small building that was no more than three stories high. Two members of the team were in a small chamber examining a curious looking petroglyph. Maanderf Flyt entered through a small door to find more of the ancient inhabitants' writings. He hadn't been gone for a standard minute when his friend Plahn Sclar heard a mysterious noise that resembles a shuttle engine activating. He stood up and called into the next chamber. "Mandie, you there?" He waited, but no answer came. "Maanderf! Answer, you fool!" Plahn walked into the room but found no sign of his friend. Then, from behind him, he heard the same weird noise. The next moment, he was gone.

**A**uthor's **F**riend's **S**ister's **N**ote: Here you guys go! Hope you enjoy... please R&R, any feedback is greatly appreciated and will be passed on to the author! Oh, and since I'm posting this in Fee's place, here's a SHAMELESS FIC PROMOTION!! YESS!! uh... check out **eliatrasabre** for more great Star Wars fanfics. No strings attached, I promise! -grin-


	7. A Voice from the Past

Chapter 7

_A Voice from the Past_

Obi-Wan, Gaff, and the rest of the away teams were due to report back to base within the next few minutes. Sarina could barely control her excitement and anticipation to learn what everyone had found. She kept glancing at her wrist chrono, waiting for any sign of people coming. _To quote an old saying,_ Sarina thought to herself, _a watched pot never boils!_ She scolded herself for not being more patient, then sat down and tried to calm herself. She let her eyes close for just a moment. The next thing she knew, she heard the yell of someone announcing their return.

She jumped out of her chair, rushed to the opening of her tent and watched as the teams entered the base looking troubled. She felt their anxiety and walked up to them, but they glanced away and tried to avoid her gaze. She looked up to find Obi-Wan walking up to her, obviously distressed. He took her arm and gestured for her to follow him into her tent.

She followed only because her curiosity outweighed her stubbornness. They entered her temporary chambers, and Obi-Wan turned to face Sarina.

"What's wrong?!" She exclaimed. "Why is everyone so scared?"

Obi-Wan put his hands on both her shoulders and took a deep breath. "All the away teams have reported that at least one member has disappeared." Sarina was taken aback by the revelation.

"What do you mean, disappear?" She asked, refusing to believe him.

"When a person walks off by themselves, the just vanish. No one sees anything." He turned and tried to reach out with the Force to sense the missing people. There were a total of ten missing. He could find nothing, and he hung his head in frustration, then turned back to find two small tears falling on Sarina's cheeks. He walked over to her and brushed her face with his hand to rid her beautiful features of the unwanted tears. The brave look on her face collapsed asshe leaned on Obi-Wan's shoulder and began to cry. He could feel his heart wrench as he sensed her anguish and anger at what was happening that was way beyond her control.

"I will try to find them." Obi-Wan whispered in her ear. She pulled away and forced a smile on her wet lips.

"Captain Mar- Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." Obi-Wan and Sarina saw Gaff's head sticking through the opening of the slit in the tent that acted as a door. He pulled out his head and had begun to walk away when Sarina and Obi-Wan rushed out to stop him.

"What is it Commander?" Sarina managed to get out. She rubbed her eyes to rid of them the redness, only to make it worse.

"I just wanted you to hear what is going on out there. But I can seeyou are too busy right now." Sarina could her the resentment in his voice and Obi-Wan could sense his jealousy as easily as feeling a punch to the stomach. Obi-Wan gave a slight cough and announced that he would go see what he could learn from the other away teams. Gaff looked on, watching the Jedi as he walked away, and then turned his attention back to Sarina.

"You should listen to this, Captain Martane." Gaff announced gruffly. Gaff was referring to the leader of the away team assigned to explore the building that was speculated to be the prison. She looked on a small man with a pointed nose and small beady eyes. "Yes?" She coaxed the man.

"Well, ma'am..." The man hesitated and then continued. "I was looking around a small chamber that appeared to be a prison cell. One of my men was with me. I turned my back and then I heard a strange noise. I glanced over my shoulder to ask my second officer if he heard it too, only to find him gone. I thought he had left me and gone on to another room, but he hadn't. He just, _vanished._" The man stopped, as if refusing to go on any more. Sarina gave him a sympathetic look and then walked away, trying to decide what to do next.

She then took a tally of all the crew members that were missing. She was grief stricken to find thata total of twelve out of thirty away team members were nowmissing.

Sarina walked around the camp deep in thought, trying to find the best course of action. She jumped as she felt a hand touch her shoulder and turned to find herself gazing into Obi-Wan's deep blue eyes. He asked he what she was going to do next.

"I-I was thinking that we would all just stick around base camp for a while until we find out what happened to those people. I was going to organize a search party of volunteers. What do you think?"

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin for a moment. "Yes, I think th-" He was interrupted by the arrival of Vershawn Bergil, the linguist.

"I have completely deciphered the small computer you gave me. Come, I think you will find it most interesting." He hurried back the way he had come, not even looking back to see if Sarina and Obi-Wan were following.

They all arrived at the linguistics tent with a mixture of anticipation and restlessness. Sarina sat at the table with the computer in front of her, with Obi-Wan and Vershawn on either side of her looking on. Sarina took a deep breath and pushed the _On_ button.

The small holo computer fizzled and wheezed as it tried to warm up and start playback. It finally did. The same image of the man appeared with a look of stress and pain covering his face. He also took a breath and began to speak.

_I have hidden this message in my desk in the hopes that someone would find it one day and learn of the atrocities that the Vagaari have inflicted upon us._

_We are called Versions and our home is called Vershadda. We are a peaceful people. We have means to explore the outer regions of space, but we are content in living on our home planet. We have no weapons or any other means of defense. We hoped that it would avoid any confrontation, but instead we have welcomed it with open arms. _

_Approximately three days ago, a ship was seen circling our planet and we tried to communicate with it, but we have not received any response. We are afraid at what these people want from us. Today, they contacted me saying we are expected to surrender to these monsters. I refused. In doing so, I fear I have condemned this world to ruin._

The image faded and then reappeared.

_This will be my final entry. They have begun firing on our surface. On the first volley, they have destroyed our temple and killed _all_ of our priests. Ever since then, billions of people have been dying every day. Without our priests, we are doomed to wander this planet forever._

The image completely disappeared and Vershawn said that that was all. Sarina was slightly disappointed that there was no more information, but also puzzled by the man's statement about wandering the planet forever. Obi-Wan announced that he must continue his questioning of all the away teams. Sarina gave a start and rushed after him.

"What's wrong?" He asked, startled by her actions.

"Haven't you forgotten someone?" Sarina asked, her brow wrinkled at him. Obi-Wan shook his head in bewilderment. Then it struck him.

"Anakin!" They both shouted.

----------

Although he was still a Padawan learner, Obi-Wan thought it would be a good idea if Anakin were to accompany an away team to a half destroyed building that resembled a temple. Anakin was not in charge, but he did have a say in what was to be done. They walked into the partly demolished building with carefully laid steps. Anakin surveyed the area to find nothing of particular interestin the partially intact room. On the walls were some kind of ceremonial writings and designs. On one barely standing wall, there was some kind of interesting artifact that was very elegant in appearance. Anakin walked up to it and began to study it. Two crewmen asked if he wanted to take it away to study it.

"No. This is where it belongs. If you want to study it, do it here." was Anakin's reply. He put his hand on it only to jerk it back in alarm as the object lit up in some unknown way. He watched as the light went dim and vanished as quickly as it had come. Anakin felt dizzy for a moment, but he recovered himself and walked along with the others.

They continued to explore the old temple. On the side that was barely still standing, Anakin found a room that was triangular in shape. It was a large room that held an arch flat against one wall. The arch was copper-colored with unusual markings on it, and on the wall about seven meters to the side of it was a circular control panel that possessed the same kind of markings. Anakin walked up to it and studied it for a moment. There was nothing else in the room besides the arch. Everyone was puzzled as to its purpose. Anakin was about to examine it when he heard his comm beeping as Obi-Wan tried to contact him.

"Yes, Master?" Anakin spoke into the comm's small speakers and waited for his Master's reply.

The comm had some interference, but Obi-Wan's voice came through clearly. "Anakin! Are you alright?!" Obi-Wan half shouted. The comm vibrated as his over powering voice came over the speakers.

"Yes, Master. Why? What's wrong?"

"I think you and your team need to get back here as fast as you can." Obi-Wan said hurriedly.

"Why? What has happened?" Anakin could feel his master's anxiety through the Force.

"I will tell you when you get here. Hurry!" With that, the comm went dead with Anakin holding it in his hand, confusion apparent on his face.

"Okay people, we have been recalled to base camp, pronto!" Anakin ordered. The crewmen looked at each other and followed him back to camp.


	8. Frightening Light

Chapter 8

_Frightening Light_

Anakin and the team he was assigned to arrived at the base camp out of breath and confused. Anakin went in search of his master to get the answers that he needed to the questions that had been plaguing his mind on the trek back to the base. He found Obi-Wan in the linguistics tent with Sarina.

"Now will you tell me what is wrong?" Anakin asked, frustration and impatience leaking into his voice.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "Twelve out of thirty away team members have disappeared without a trace, and Captain Martane thinks it wise to stay in one place until we can locate them." Anakin was astonished by what had happened.

"Why didn't I sense anything like that through the Force?" Anakin asked, slightly hurt.

"Your power is not as attuned as my own, young one. Patience. One day, it will come. I have talked to every team, and at least two people have vanished from each. Has anyone been unaccounted for in your team?"

Anakin thought for a moment and answered no. "What is different about your team?" Obi-Wan asked, puzzled.

"Well," Anakin offered. "Everyone else was in regular buildings. We were in a temple. Or, what's left of one. Maybe there's something in there that keeps whatever it is from taking people."

Obi-Wan nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, I sense there is something in there that is sacred to the old inhabitants and that they are not present there like everywhere else. Maybe we should move the base camp there."

Through the whole discussion between Master and Padawan, Sarina just stood out of it and watched with amusement and respect. When Obi-Wan turned to face her and ask whether she agreed, she also nodded her head.

"Yes, I think that would be wise. I will order the transportation immediately." Sarina turned on her heel and exited the tent to start preparations.

In about five standard hours, the base camp had been dismantled and was beginning to move to the temple. The trek was long and hard on the hot, sandy terrain. The sun filled the sky with an incredible intensity that drew sweat on the skin of anyone who stood in it. Many of the people had to stop and drink the precious water that filled their canteens. Sarina was getting anxious to get out of the streets they had been walking across. She not only felt hot and wanted the cool shade that the temple would provide, she also felt vulnerable in the open. _It's just your imagination,_ she kept telling herself.

Finally, in the distance, they could see what was left of a once beautiful and elegant temple that a long time ago stood proudly, vast and timeless. Now reduced to nothing but ruin, the temple sat in rubble and disgrace. It looked sad and alone to Sarina and in a strange way, she was happy to set up her base camp in it, if only for a little while, to fill it with noise and activity once again. Obi-Wan, Anakin, Sarina and Gaff entered the temple and surveyed it to make sure it was still safe. They all walked around with small, purposeful steps to ensure their safety. After being satisfied that this would be a safe place to "hide," Sarina announced to everyone to begin moving their equipment wherever they needed to go. There was some confusion as to what needed to go where, but it was soon straightened out. Linguistics were placed in a small but spacious room to the far right of the temple's entrance. Archeologists were in a medium sized room that was filled with benches and tables perfectly suited for their needs. The other members of the away teams just stayed in the main chamber. There had been a total of eighty people on this mission before people had started disappearing, including the away team members, but there was now a total of only sixty-eight scientists and crewmen left. Anxiety was high and moral was at an all time low. Being cooped up in a deteriorating building waiting to vanish without a trace would drive anyone mad.

Even though there was still a risk of evaporating into thin air, there were some people who felt compelled to explore what was left of the temple. Sarina asked that they wait until she and her rescue party got back from searching for the missing crew members.

Sarina, Obi-Wan and the remaining eighteen away team members went back out to search for their missing comrades. The sun was setting in the eastern sky, creating a wash of colors ranging from orange to dark purple that covered the sky with intense beauty. Even in their present predicament, Sarina stopped to witness the sunset with feelings ranging from anxiousness to calm and quiet. She shook herself back into reality, remembering she was on a mission to find her crewmen.

Sarina was back drawn to the capital building again and began looking around in a more detailed fashion. They all started exploring the lower levels of the building and worked their way up. The lower levels were like caves and tunnels that zigzagged their way around under the ground. Obi-Wan was puzzled as to their purpose until it struck him. _This must be an escape route,_ he thought to himself. _Where does it go?_ The walls were bare and slick to the touch. The air smelled old and dank, and it left a bad taste in the back of Sarina's throat. Because it was dark, there were regulations that each away team member was to carry flashlights and other items. Light shone around for more than enough illumination to prevent any tripping or any other accidents

Sarina was in the lead with Obi-Wan close behind.

They all began to see a crack of light ahead of them. Sarina was overjoyed to see the end of their long, dark travel through the tunnel, when suddenly, from behind her, she heard a noise, like a humming from the powered engine of a cruiser. A bright light shone behind her. She was reluctant to look, for fear of what she might see, but she turned slowly to see a light that almost blinded her. In the middle she could barely make out the outline of a figure that looked human and called to her in some way. Ten of the eighteen crewmen with her had alreadygone into the light and vanished. She felt her legs move toward the light. She was unafraid, and she felt safe, almost calm. She would have gone toward the light, but she felt Obi-Wan restrain her with a strong and steady arm. She could barely hear his masculine voice desperately calling her name. She then focused on him and the light evaporated as quickly as it had come. Her eyes were glassy and had not yet adjusted to the darkness. She could feel Obi-Wan's body close to hers, and she felt his arms slip around her shoulders as he hugged her. She had not realized until that moment that she was crying. The remaining crewmen stood absolutely still in the darkness, as if hoping that their lack of movement would restrain the light's vision. Although they were terrified out of their skin, they waited for the next orders from their captain. Sarina stood there in the embrace for a moment, and then took charge once more to finish the journey that she had begun. She regained her composure and started walking down the hallway.

They reached a small door that had light shining through the minute cracks. She tensed as her hand went to some kind of handle. She pulled it and found herself standing outside the main chamber of the temple.

Her crewmen stared at her in surprise. "Ca-Captain Martane, what a surprise," one of the men stuttered. She nodded her head and then walked through the slanted door, ducking slightly to avoid hitting her head. Many of the crewmen came up to her and started asking questions about how she had gotten there. She held up her hands for silence.

"I found no sign of our missing friends and comrades. I also regret to inform you that ten more people have also left us mysteriously. I think it would be prudent to return to the _Smooth Flight,_ and answers, up where it is safe." She received a positive response to this idea, and they began to pack their equipment. Sarina hurried up to them.

"We can worry about retrieving your things later. Right now, I am concerned that more of us will vanish without a trace." The scientists were at first reluctant, but seeing the logic in her reasoning, they agreed. Sarina led her now small band of crewmen and scientists back to the shuttles.

After a few minutes of confusion of who went in which shuttle, all the doors closed and everyone was ready for take-off. Sarina went through the preflight checks, although she went through them quicker than usual. She finally announced that they were ready for take-off. She inhaled deeply and pushed the launch button.

Nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" She muttered under her breath. She tried another button. Still the shuttle refused to launch. She tried to override the direct command, but it would not accept her commands. Sarina looked to Obi-Wan for guidance, only to find him in a trance. He shook himself awake and frowned.

"They are trying to keep us here." He whispered so quietly, Sarina was unsure she heard him correctly.

"Who?" She choked out. Obi-Wan leaned closer and said gently in her ear.

"The race that used to occupy this planet." She looked at him, afraid to believe the words that came out of his mouth. She had never believed in ghosts. Until now...

After letting Obi-Wan's words soak into her mind, she tried to contact the _Smooth Flight_. "Captain Martane to the _Smooth Flight,_ come in." The only reply was the background noise coming from the teal gray speakers. "_Smooth Flight, _this is Captain Martane. Come in, please." Sarina frantically pushed the control buttons on the console. She tried bypassing the direct command routes, but to no avail. The only communication she could receive was shuttle-to-shuttle. They too had the same difficulty in transmitting to the mother ship.

Sarina tried to maintain a calm disposition, but she was terrified inside. All she could think about was the safety of those under her command. She turned to Obi-Wan for a suggestion as to what to do next.

"Well, we can't do much here. Why don't we let the technicians do their job, and we wait back at the temple?" He suggested. Sarina was reluctant at first, but then conceded. She left five guards at the shuttles to watch over the ten technicians as they worked to get the shuttles up and running. Sarina and the remaining forty-three crewmen and scientists made the trek back to the safety of the half demolished temple.

The tension level was high as everyone shied at every shadow and corner, fearing that some creature would take them away. They tried to stay together or in large groups.

Sarina stayed in the main chamber examining all the artifacts that were still in one piece after the years of decay. She was especially interested in one piece that hung on the far wall under a broken window.

It was a cold bronze in color and was shaped in what resembled a _V_ with a _P _overlapping it. It had a curious circle directly in the middle with some kind of precious stone in it.

It seemed to her that it was the symbol of the _Version's_ religion. Obi-Wan, who was standing beside her, reached up and touched it with his hand. To his surprise, the stone lit up at the gesture. He stood there, stunned at the action the artifact had taken. Anakin ran up to his master in concern.

"That happened to me when I touched it!" He exclaimed. Obi-Wan withdrew his hand and the light diminished. One of the scientists came up and also touched it. The light did not reappear. Sarina waved her hand across the deep red stone. It again lit up, but not as brightly as it had when Anakin and Obi-Wan did. Sarina looked up into Obi-Wan's eyes and then quickly walked away.

It struck Obi-Wan then and there what the artifact's purpose was. It measured the Force sensitivity in a being. His suspicions about Sarina being Force-sensitive were now confirmed.

He followed Sarina out of the main chamber and into a small, secluded room. She stopped in the middle, then hid her face in her hands and began to sob. Obi-Wan stood there watching her, waiting for an explanation. She looked up with swollen red eyes.

She tried to think of something to say, but the words failed her. "Well, now you know." She finally said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked. The watched each other while Sarina searched her mind for a suitable reply.

"I-I don't know. Gaff didn't want me to, for fear that you would take me to the Jedi counsel for punishment for not coming and learning the ways of the Force." Obi-Wan did not look entirely satisfied at her words. "Gaff is in love with me and is very protective of me." She took a step forward and stopped when Obi-Wan backed away from her.

"I know you are mad at me, but please try to understand my position." She said.

"I do understand. I just wished you could have trusted me enough to tell me." He turned to leave and heard Sarina take another set of steps. He glanced over his shoulder and said, "I need to think. I will speak to you later." With that, he left Sarina in the room.


	9. Betrayed Trust

Chapter 9

_Betrayed Trust_

Sarina walked back into the main chamber and was then ambushed by some of her crew. About fifteen stepped forward announcing that their need for exploration outweighed their fear of the danger that might be lurking behind every corner, and they asked for her permission to explore the temple. Sarina considered their request carefully. Not knowing how long it would take the techs to figure out what was keeping the shuttles from taking off and the communications block, this would be the only opportune time for such an action. She nodded her head slowly.

One standard hour later, they all began their mission of charting the temple. Sarina asked Obi-Wan to join them in their journey. He announced that he wished to wander the area alone. Sarina asked why, even though she had some idea. He was still angry with her.

"I think that if I am alone and can concentrate and relax in the Force, I feel that I can figure out what is going on. I no longer feel that we are in grave danger, but I feel we should find out what is going on soon." With that, Obi-Wan started walking down a dimly lit hallway with sagged shoulders.

Sarina respected his decision and lead her team of fifteen curious explorers the opposite way down the same hallway.

They found nothing of particular interest. On the west side of the partially demolished building, they found personal dwellings that might indicate that these _Priests_ had lived here all their lives. Sarina found on the marble floor what looked like a journal, but when she tried to open it, it disintegrated in her hands. Disappointed to not get any useful information, she moved on to discover what other secrets that this place might have within its walls. They found nothing of particular interest in any of the rooms and decided to move on. Sarina found her mind wandering to Obi-Wan and what he was thinking. She never thought she would hurt him so. She shook her head to clear the mental cobwebs and continued her exploration.

-----

Obi-Wan was looking around what appeared to be a meeting place for the _Priests_. It was a circular room with petroglyphs on the walls. They showed what appeared to be their early history. Under normal circumstances, he would have found this all very interesting, but he could not concentrate. He understood why Sarina didn't want anyone to know about her Force-sensitivity, and yet, it cut him deeply to think she didn't trust him enough with her secret.

He noticed that on the table under decades worth of dust were control buttons of some sort. He brushed it away with his hand and began to push the buttons. A small computer screen began to light up and began to make a fizzle sound. He began to download the information onto his datapad and tried to study it.

Obi-Wan began to feel uneasy and then suddenly felt a disturbance in the Force. He reached under his robe and withdrew his lightsaber, igniting its intense blue blade. He turned swiftly and his attention was drawn to the doorway.

It at first looked like a young girl with long hair falling down to her thighs. She wore a tattered, coral-colored dress. Her face wore a tired, sad expression that looked like a smile had never crossed her lips. Obi-Wan knew at once that it was a ghost. Her figure was distorted and he could almost see through her. He stood there in battle stance a few moments, then dis-ignited his lightsaber and returned it to his belt. He approached the figure and then stopped as the apparition began to fade out.

"What are you doing here?" He asked quietly. The ghost faded a little more and then answered.

"Because we have nowhere else to go." She said in a shy voice. And then she turned and started to glide over the floor out of sight.

Obi-Wan ran to the door after her. He glanced up and down the hallway and found no trace of the girl. Out of a door at the end of the hallway, Sarina came out and looked at him with a puzzled glance.

"I s-saw a ghost. She just left the room I was in." he stammered.

"Maybe it was one of the old inhabitants of this planet." she theorized. "Did she say anything?"

Obi-Wan walked up to her. "I asked her why she was here and she said that _they_ had nowhere else to go." They both began to walk side-by-side back down the hallway.

"What did she mean by _we_?"

Obi-Wan walked deep in thought for a moment before answering. "There are others with her. I need to meditate. Would you care to join me?" he asked with a smile spread across his face. Sarina shook her head.

"I would love to, but unfortunately, duty calls. Next time, I promise." She rubbed his shoulder and walked away.

Obi-Wan smiled to himself and went back into the circular meeting place to meditate. He seated himself on a sturdy chair and relaxed himself into the Force. He felt himself slipping away from reality. He was being drawn to a dark place in his mind. He opened his eyes to find himself all alone in a cramped, black room. He walked around trying to find out were he was. "Hello?" He called out uncertainly, not sure if he was in reality, or in a meditative state. Then the room slowly lit up with a spooky glow as the outline of people began to form. There were thousands, maybe even millions of beings giving off an unusual aura. In the front of the group of 'ghosts' -for lack of a better word- was the man that had made that holo-journal. The only word that came to mind to describe him was 'President.'

Obi-Wan approached the man and bowed deeply. As he arose, he saw that the man had also bowed. The stood there looking eye-to-eye as if sizing each other up. It was Obi-Wan who spoke first.

"I greet you in friendship." He said meaningfully.

"And I you." The man said. His voice sounded faded, like an old holo-projecter that had been used over and over. It was also filled with heart felt pain and strain. "What do you want from us? We have nothing that you would want. We are dead thanks to the heartless Vagaari. We are doomed to walk this planet for all eternity."

"I want in no way to harm you or your people. Is there _anything_ that can be done for you and your people? You do not deserve this fate." Obi-Wan asked. The apparition began to walk to the left and the Jedi master followed. They walked for a few moments before the 'ghost' replied.

"The Vagaari killed all of our Priests before they began to slaughter everyone else. Without the Priests, we cannot reach _Perasidaa._ Our... afterlife, if you will. You see, the Priests have this power we call _Frosion _that makes it possible to reach _Perasidaa_. Without them, it is impossible. For centuries, we have searched passing ships for the same power, but to no avail. Then you and your people came and our hope was renewed. We have found three of you with the power. You, a young boy that you call your... padwen?"

"Padawan." Obi-Wan corrected.

"And a young woman you call Sarina. Though, her power is not as strong as yours and your padawan's. He is very strong for a boy of his age. He must take great care not to fall into darkness like some of our young. I fear he may do that."

Obi-Wan thought about what the man said about Anakin. Yoda and a few others on the Council had said the same when Qui-Gon brought Anakin back with them from Tatooine. Yoda had said Anakin's future was clouded. He pushed those thoughts away and listened to what the man had to say.

"Are your young the ones who have been causing all our people to disappear?" Obi-Wan asked. The man hung his head is shame before his answered the Jedi's question. "Yes, I am afraid so. You see, in the time we have walked Vershadda, some of our young have gone mad and are now taking their anger out on helpless people such as yourselves. I do apologize for all the trouble they are causing. I have tried to stop them, but they are more powerful."

"I'm sorry, but in all this time, I've yet to learn your name." Obi-Wan said graciously. The man glanced at Obi-Wan with a startled look.

"It is I who must apologize!" He said. "My name is First Minister Tran. You may call me Tran. My title means nothing anymore."

"Well, Tran..." Obi-Wan tried to say. It didn't sound right to him. "Your term _Frosion_ is what we call the _Force_. And those who have the power to use it are called Jedi. Many different species have been able to use the Force. Although, I've never heard of a society that needs the Force to reach their after-life. What needs to be done exactly?"

"We are not sure. The Priests kept mostly to themselves about their traditions and such. Will you help us? We have no way to reward you, but we will do whatever you ask." Tran stopped walking and faced Obi-Wan with pleading eyes.

"I will do whatever I can to help you reach Perasidaa." Obi-Wan said. With that, he exited his meditative state and found himself back in the meeting place.

Obi-Wan raked his hands through his hair and stood up. He looked around the room to make sure he didn't forget anything and made his way back to the main sanctuary. He scanned the crowd for Sarina. Gaff saw him looking around, went up to him and asked whom he was trying to find.

"Sarina." He replied. "I used the Force and I was able to talk to the Versions, the people that used to inhabit this planet. They need our help. I was going to talk to Captain Martane about it and try to figure the best course of action."

They suddenly noticed Sarina coming out of a small room close behind them. Obi-Wan let out a breath of relief.

She came up to him and smiled. "Are you alright?" She asked. "Did I worry you?"  
"You shouldn't walk off alone. You could vanish just as easily as anyone else," he said in a serious tone. Like a father scolding a misbehaving child.

"Do I detect some concern in your voice, Jedi?" Sarina asked playfully.

"You know what I mean. Anyhow, I have talked with the leader of the Versions and he told me that there is a way that we can help them reach their afterlife, but I'm not sure how we can do that. Tran, that's his name, said the only other people besides the _Priests _that knew what they did were the people that died. So we need to find out, _somehow_, how they accomplished this." Obi-Wan then took a breath and tried to figure out the best course of action.

Anakin was standing beside his master patiently as he listened to what was said. Anakin was suddenly struck with inspiration that could only have come from the Force. "Master?" he asked. "When I first started to explore this place, I uncovered a room with a strange arch up against a wall. I don't know how or why, but I feel that you should investigate it further. It may hold some answers."

Obi-Wan nodded with approval and began to follow Anakin as he led the way to the arch room. Sarina ran up behind him in protest.

"You shouldn't go off alone. You could disappear like anyone else," she said with a smile. Although Obi-Wan could sense concern from her, he smiled and allowed her to accompany them.

It took a few minutes for Anakin to remember where exactly the room was, but they finally reached their destination. Obi-Wan began to study the arch in great detail. It was about ten feet high, copper-gold in color. On its face were markings that seemed to tell some sort of saddening story. To the side was the circular control panel. Obi-Wan touched it. The whole thing seemed to come alive at the gesture. Obi-Wan jerked his hand back. Not only did it startle him, but he also felt as though some energy was drained out of him.

He looked up into Sarina's icy-blue eyes. She looked worried and then let out a sigh of relief as he smiled to try and soothe her.

He turned his attention back to the control panel. He studied it in great detail. He would have loved to get Vershawn Bergil to get to work on it, but unfortunately, he had disappeared like many others. It had been a long day.

It was now dark and Obi-Wan was still unenlightened as to how to help Tran and his people. He remained in the arch room to try and figure out what he was supposed to do. Sarina stayed with him to try and help. Her Force-sensitivity was too low to be of much help, but she kept him company and was there if he needed her.

Obi-Wan sat in a cross-legged position with all his attention on the arch. He was in a meditative state, trying to find the answers to the questions that plagued his mind. He felt a sudden _jerk_ in the Force that brought him back to reality. He gazed around the room to discover what happened. He noticed immediately that Sarina was not in sight. He knew she wouldn't walk off without telling him.

"Sarina?!" he called out, but no answer came. He ran out of the room and into the main sanctuary to see if she did indeed leave, but he could find no sign her. He walked briskly back into the arch room. "You have gone too far!" He yelled. "Show yourselves! I know you have her and the rest of her crew. What do you hope to accomplish by this?" Around him, he felt a chilling breeze, even though he was in a closed room. It seemed to get darker around the Jedi Knight. He felt the Force churning and then, a blinding light appeared. He looked away, shielding his eyes and then looked back again when it faded into a dark shadow. In it, Obi-Wan could see a silhouette of a burly looking man. He stepped out of the shadow and his face could be seen. It was an ugly face to be sure, with small squinty eyes, a pointed nose, and a cruel looking mouth that was stretched in an evil smile. "What do you ask, Jedi?" The ghost asked.

"What have you done with Sarina and everyone else that has been missing?" he asked, stepping away from the man.

The ghost gave a slight chuckle. "What is it to you. She is safe, for now. Along with everyone else that is...visiting us."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why are we doing this? Hmm, good question. Well, we are looking for a being that holds the _Frosion_ power to get us to _Perasidaa_ before Tran and the rest of those fools do."

Obi-Wan had even more questions now than he did before. "Why? Is there not enough room for all of you?"

The man laughed aloud in a long breath. "What a stupid question, Jedi! We want to get there first so that Tran and his mindless followers cannot. I can still see you have questions. Let me explain in small words so that you small mind can comprehend.

"Tran believes that those with the _Frosion_ power can only serve as _Priests_. Well, we believe that we can do much, much more. So those who believed as I did came together and started exploring this power. We have unlocked many secrets about this power, but Tran found us and put a stop to it. Then the Vagaari came and killed all of us. Only those with the power can help Tran get to _Perasidaa_. We don't want him there. He doesn't deserve it. We have found one with power. Now we can reach _Perasidaa_ and leave Tran here after we kill you and your little brat friend!" With that, the ghost lunged at Obi-Wan.


	10. Rest In Peace

Chapter 10

_Rest in Peace_

Anakin was in the main sanctuary talking with Gaff when he felt Obi-Wan's cry for help through the Force. He turned toward the arch room and began to run to his master's aid. He entered the room to find Obi-Wan having great difficulty infighting a ghostly-looking man. Anakin ran in between them and put up a Force shield. Obi-Wan quickly recovered from his shock and put up a Force shield of his own. The ghost man was incapacitated after a few moments, forced back into the shadow from which he came. Both Jedi could hear the ghost scream as the shadow disappeared.

Obi-Wan and Anakin looked at each other and let out a huge sigh of relief.

Obi-Wan had not rested long when he remembered that time was not a luxury he had. "We need to get Tran and his people here. I think I know what has to be done for these poor souls to reach _Perasidaa_. We need to do it quickly before our little friend gets there before we do." Anakin nodded. Obi-Wan began to call through the Force to Tran to tell him that he was ready. Anakin went to tell Gaff and what was left of the away team what was going on. Anakin returned with Gaff close behind. He expressed concern as Obi-Wan informed him of his plan. "What if they hurt Sarina? What can you do about that?" Gaff asked, fear tingeing his voice.

"I don't think they will. It was an empty threat, I think." Obi-Wan replied.

"You think?! Are you really willing to take that chance?" Gaff asked, half-yelling.

Obi-Wan was beginning to lose patience with the man. "I think Sarina would understand what is at stake here. Even if we do nothing, she is still in danger of death from them. I think-" Obi-Wan was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Tran.

Even with a tired, sad expression on his face, Obi-Wan could see a special shine in Tran's eyes that was not there before. Obi-Wan hoped that he would not disappoint any of them.

"I received your message. You think you know what to do now?" Tran asked as more of his people began to become visible. Obi-Wan began to look around, becoming uneasier with each passing moment. He feared that he was wrong and he would dash their hopes of ever resting in peace.

"Y-Yes, I think so." Obi-Wan said uncertainly. "I must warn you that there is no guarantee that this will work. I don't want to disappoint you."

Tran put a transparent hand on Obi-Wan shoulder, like a father encouraging a troubled son. "I trust you. Whatever the outcome, I know you did your best." He then smiled and Obi-Wan smiled back. Obi-Wan turned and started walking toward the arch. He put his hand on the circular control panel and it began to activate. The arch started to make a rumbling sound as a watery-gray liquid substance began to fill it. It looked like water, but it was staying in a vertical position, like a portal to a distant land. Tran let his mouth fall in awe as the arch was completely filled with the liquid. He took a step toward it, but stopped about a foot away from the edge, looking over at Obi-Wan apprehensively. Obi-Wan gave a slight nod and Tran nodded back and began to walk through it. He stopped suddenly as he heard a menacing voice sound behind him. He spun to the voice to see the ghost of the man Obi-Wan had fought with not thirty minutes before. He was not alone. With his hands around her throat, Sarina stood next to him, helplessly watching Obi-Wan. She tried to speak, but the man was holding her throat too tightly. Obi-Wan tried to move, but he found his hand would not move away from the control panel. His energy was socompletely drained that he found it surprising that he was still able to stand. He tried desperately to spring to Sarina's aid, but his body would not allow it. He looked over urgently to Anakin hoping that he would get the idea. He did.

Tran stood in front of the arch staring coldly at the man. "What do you want, Dre?" he asked.

"I want to go to _Perasidaa_. You, however are not invited." Dre gave a small laugh and began to walk toward Tran with purposeful steps. He did not notice Anakin close behind him. Anakin gathered all the strength he had and pushed a large Force wave that knocked Dre and Sarina down. Dre yelped in surprise and unconsciously let go of Sarina. She got up and tried to run to Gaff, but Dre had risen and tried to grab a hold on her before she could reach safety. Somehow, Sarina swerved around to stare at Dre, and between them appeared a Force wall. It was not that strong, but it was enough to block his grip, and she ran behind Gaff for protection. The wall was broken as suddenly as it had formed and Dre came at them again. Anakin ran up behind him and tried to tackle him, but he flew through Dre like paper on the wind.The ghostly man laughed loudly as Anakin landed hard on the floor. He was about to pounce on Anakin when all Tran's people began to jump on Dre and started to attack him. It wasn't long before they heard a scream from under the pile of ghosts. They all started to get up and Anakin gasped as Dre was gone.

"Where did he go?" He asked.

"We sent him back to the place he has been existing all these years." One old looking man replied. "He won't be able to get out when your master seals up the connection between his and your realities."

All eyes went back to Tran as he smiled down to his people.

"I promised that I would not make a speech, but somehow I feel the need to do so. We have been wandering _Vershadda_ for a long time. Now is the time to go to our true home. In a strange way, I will miss this place. It has been my home when we were all alive, and our hell ever since the Vagaari massacred us all. But it was still home. I will see you all on the other side." He turned his head over to Obi-Wan. "Thank you." was all he said. He turned and began to walk through the arch. He disappeared and then all the people began walk through it. It wasn't long before everyone had crossed over and Obi-Wan was able to remove his hand from the panel.

He smiled weakly and then fell into Sarina's arms. He was unconscious for about five minutes before he came to again. He looked up to Sarina's beautiful face smiling down at him.

"Hey, what happened?" he asked, rubbing his forehead

Sarina ran her hand through his hair and giggled. "I think that machine drained your energy in order for it to work. But all is fine now. Better than fine." she finished. "Can you walk?"

He sat up and then attempted to stand, however, Sarina had to help him up. He finallystood shakily, but on his own. "Where are we going?" he asked as Sarina led him to the main sanctuary. There was the loud sound of people talking excitedly. Obi-Wan's eyes grew wide as the sight before him filled his vision. All the people that, thanks to Dre, had disappeared had been returned unharmed. Gaff and Keil were talking with Musante with huge smiles on their faces. A festive air filled the room as friends and colleagues conversed and questioned their newly returned friends. The room was filled with the sound of excited voices and laughter, a welcome sound to Sarina's ears.

"Well, that is a grand sight." Obi-Wan said quietly. Sarina nodded in agreement.

"I want to say something. Do you think it is a good time?" she asked, sounding small. Obi-Wan gave the slightest nod.

Sarina left Obi-Wan's side and climbed to the platform in front of the sanctuary. She called loudly over the noise for silence. All heads turned toward her and the uproar quieted so much you could have heard a pin drop. Sarina began to speak before she became too nervous to do so.

"Friends, I am so glad to see you back with us! This old temple does not look so barren anymore. I am also relieved that none of you are hurt. Do any of you remember anything of your ordeal?"

A good majority of the crowd shook their heads. Musante spoke up from where he was standing. "All I remember is hearing a strange noise, and then next thing I know is that I was standing in this place next to Keil." Sarina gave an understanding gesture and continued.

"Under the circumstances, I think it prudent that we return to the _Smooth Flight_ and report to Coruscant of our adventures. I want to assure all of you that we are no longer in any danger from the... 'ghosts,' I guess, is all we can call them." Sarina giggled and made the last comment, "When our parents told us there was no such things as ghosts, they apparently had never heard of this place!" The room filled with laughter at her comment.

Obi-Wan smiled and then returned to the arch room. He relaxed into the Force and began to search for Dre's portal between his and Obi-Wan's realities. He found it hidden deep within the threshold of the realities. He used Force instinct to close itensuring Dre's evil would never return to this world. When he was satisfied, he came out of the Force and walked back into the sanctuary.

Sarina had just stepped down off the platform and began to walk out of the temple toward the resting shuttles. She entered _Shuttle 1_ and began the familiartake-off sequence. She felt a great strain lift off her shoulders as she heard the engine start up. All the crewmen and scientists began to fill the shuttles and within fifteen minutes the shuttle doors were shut and they began to take off, leavingthe mysterious planet, now empty of its ghosts, far behind.

AF's/N: Almost done! Just one chapter to go. For more good Star Wars reading, visit Eliatra Sabre on fan fiction (dot) net.


	11. Answered Questions

Chapter 11

_Answered Questions_

A month later, back on Coruscant, in the Jedi Council room, Obi-Wan was giving his report in front of the council members. He had finished and now waited for questions. Anakin stood by the door, knowing he would not have to report anything, since his master had it pretty much covered.

"Closed their portal permanently, you have Obi-Wan?" Master Yoda asked in his unusual way.

"Yes, master. There is no way they can return now." Obi-Wan replied. Yoda glanced over to the semi-patiently waiting Anakin.

"Served your master well, you have Anakin." Yoda complimented, which was startling because the ancientMaster was not one for giving out compliments. Anakin merely bowed his head, carefully hiding his happiness to receive the old Master's praise. Master Yoda turned his attention back to Obi-Wan. Master Windu sat up in his chair and began to speak.

"I am happy to report that thanks to your efforts, the Ruvians have now begun the _long_ process of joining the Republic. There are greatly impressed with you. You have made the seemingly impossible-possible. Thank you."

Obi-Wan and Anakin both bowed together and walked out of the Council chambers. They both returned to their quarters and Obi-Wan had Anakin begin some meditation exercises. Obi-Wan was studying some information on his small portable computer, when the transmission alert began to sound. Obi-Wan had a feeling it was Sarina and he was not wrong.

"Hello, Obi-Wan." She said, smiling broadly. "I was wondering if you could join me for a farewell dinner tonight on the _Smooth Flight_?"

Obi-Wan needed no time to consider the woman's request. "In about an hour?"

"See you then." With that, the transmission was broken.

With the feeling of déjà vu hanging over him, Obi-Wan waited outside Sarina's quarters waiting for her permission to enter. "Come in, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan was again amazed at Sarina's transformation from a muscularfreighter captain to a beautiful, fragile woman. This time, she was in a light pink, silk dress that gently brushed the floor. Her hair was held back with a delicate gold barrette that resembled the beautifully colored woolly moth of Alderaan. She pointed to a chair and Obi-Wan seated himself in it.

They talked gaily for a while, laughing and discussing the month's events.

"There is still something I don't understand." Sarina announced after a while. "What caused the debris in Vershadaa's atmosphere?"

Obi-Wan took one last bite of the delicious food that had been prepared before answering. "Whenever a ship passed by, Dre would scan it and shut down all its power. If he found a Force-sensitive person, which he never did, he would land the ship and make that being get him to _Perasidaa_.

"What happened to my father?"

"That I am not sure. Maybe he wasn't Force sensitive enough. Rest assured, it will never happen again." Sarina smiled a smile of relief to hear those words. "So, what are you going to do now?" he asked.

"I have been assigned to do more exploration in the Outer Rim. I will be out there with Gaff for a long time." She paused as if considering something. "Obi-Wan, last week... um, Gaff proposed to me, and I um, accepted." She finished.

Obi-Wan sat up in his chair and leaned closer to Sarina. "That is great." He said. "I felt he had strong feelings for you."

"So, you are not angry?" she asked, sitting back.

"Of course not. I am very happy for you." Obi-wan lied. He felt disappointed, but it was for the best. Jedi were not supposed to fall in love and get married. "I would have proposed to you myself, but Jedi are not allowed." Sarina blushed slightly. Obi-Wan rose from his chair a few minutes later, announcing that he must get some sleep for the long day that faced him.

Sarina walked him to the door. That feeling of things repeating themselves crept over him again. He reached for her hand and gently brushed his lips to her fingersSarina glowed at the gesture. She embraced him in a long, goodbye hug.

"We will see each other again, one day. I promise." Obi-Wan murmured in her ear. He pulled back and smiled, then turned and walked down the hallway with Sarina watching every step until he walked out of sight.

AF's/N: Well, that's all for now, folks. Actually, that's The End. Finis. End of the road. But beyond this, there's a story in the works, or so I hear, so keep an eye out for it!

--Fee


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